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Yuya Wakamatsu knew better than to play with fire with Adriano Moraes on the ground. After all, 'Little Piranha' got choked out the last time he dared to take on 'Mikinho' right in his wheelhouse.
Armed with a better gameplan, Wakamatsu blitzed Moraes in their rematch at ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang to claim the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship. It was a dream come true for the Japanese warrior, who finally achieved his lifelong dream in front of his countrymen at the Saitama Super Arena last March 23.
Wakamatsu pushed the pace and put the submission specialist on the defensive as soon as the bell rang. Once the Tribe Tokyo MMA man stuffed the Brazilian's attempts to take it to the ground, he knew he had the former champion right where he wanted him.
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Yuya Wakamatsu shared in an interview with My Navi News:
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"I wanted to cut off all his takedowns. I wanted to avoid being taken down at all costs and fight on my own terms with my striking."
With Moraes desperately trying to make it a grappling match, Wakamatsu pounced and delivered hellish uppercuts to seal the deal and finished his tormentor for good with some punishing ground and pound in under a round.
The full replay of ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang is avaailable via watch.onefc.com
Yuya Wakamatsu went for the kill when he saw an opening
Yuya Wakamatsu's power has always been evident in his incredible run in ONE Championship. This time, however, the 30-year-old heavy-hitter finally showcased his full potential when he obliterated the former multi-time world champion.
'Little Piranha' knew he had Moraes hurt and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. He said in the same interview:
"I was able to hit him, and I think I saw his chin exposed, and I went for those uppercuts, and I saw him leaning back from the force of my strikes. So I continued landing more strikes until I managed to send him down."
Watch Yuya Wakamatsu's full interview:
